First-Of-Its-Kind Masters-Level Apprenticeship from BAE Systems and Cranfield University set to Boost Britain’s Engineering Skills BAE Systems has partnered with Cranfield University to boost Britain’s engineering skills through a new postgraduate engineering apprenticeship programme, which will provide learners with a valuable Masters-level qualification. The first cohort of 76 engineers from BAE Systems began the academic element of their level 7 apprenticeship programme on 8 January 2018, undertaking modules including design-driven innovation, operations management and cost engineering. Modules will be carried out alongside the graduate engineers’ day-to-day roles within the business. Teaching will be delivered entirely online, through a combination of interactive video sessions with Cranfield’s academics and remote online learning platforms, to provide the graduate engineers with the flexibility to study and acquire a Masters-level qualification without taking time out from work. On successful completion, the apprentices will obtain a PostGraduate Diploma in Engineering Competence – a key step towards reaching Chartered Engineering (CEng) accreditation. Already one of the largest recruiters of apprentices in the UK, BAE Systems has further expanded its wide range of apprenticeship schemes by offering this new programme to post-graduates across the business, as the company seeks to attract talent from the widest cross section of society. Further to the post-graduate apprentices, the defence company recruited just under 600 apprentices across its wider apprenticeships schemes in 2017 and reported record numbers of both female apprentices and apprentices with disabilities – making up 27% and 15% of recruits respectively. In addition, 18% of recruits came from
the most socially deprived areas of the UK. h t t p s : / / w w w. b a e s y s t e m s . c o m / en-uk/careers/careers-in-the-uk/ apprenticeships Dozens of projects announced as EPSRC welcomes Year of Engineering January 2018 - As the Year of Engineering gets underway, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has announced support for 28 pioneering new research projects. EPSRC, alongside the UK’s other Research Councils and Innovate UK, is supporting the Year of Engineering, a year-long government-wide campaign to celebrate UK engineering and inspire a new generation into engineering careers.
of new solutions to antimicrobial resistance in wastewater systems. EPSRC’s Chief Executive, Professor Philip Nelson, said: “Engineers are creators, innovators and problem solvers; their pioneering work creates a better future for us all. “ Three-quarters of engineering professionals say age discrimination is common in their workplace 11th December 2017 – A staggering 79.5% of workers in the engineering industry have revealed that discrimination around age is common in their workplace. That’s according to the latest piece of research from CVLibrary, the UK’s leading independent job board.
Throughout 2018, hundreds of organisations across the UK will showcase the world of engineering and look to inspire the next generation of engineers by bringing young people face-to-face with engineering experiences and role models.
The study asked 1,400 UK workers to open up about the topic of discrimination in the workplace, particularly when it comes to age. It found that one third (31.7%) of professionals in the sector have been rejected for a job because of their age. Other key findings include:
The EPSRC has announced an investment of £6.6 million through the Engineering for a Prosperous Nation call to support projects with potentially transformative impact in fields ranging from autonomous vehicles to energy storage and healthcare technology. The EPSRC encouraged bids for creative, novel engineering research projects with the potential to contribute to EPSRC’s four Prosperity Outcomes for the UK.
• One third (30.5%) of engineering professionals feel they’re not taken seriously at work, because of their age • With a further 61.1% stating that they have been discriminated against at work because they were considered ‘too old’ • AND, 33.3% of professionals working in the sector were discriminated against for being ‘too young’
Twenty-eight projects at 17 different universities have been supported. Research areas include the development of intelligent driver seats to act as co-pilots in autonomous cars; the use of diamond quantum technology to investigate neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease; the use of novel materials to create artificial leaves for use in solar power generation; and the investigation
Of those that said they were considered to be ‘too young’ for a job, 66.7% were told that they didn’t have enough experience. Conversely, for those considered to be ‘too old’, 27.3% heard that there were concerns that they wouldn’t be able to learn new things quickly, and that they wouldn’t be agile enough for the job (18.2%).
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